Friday night, Fauna slumped in a chair in the reception area of St. Mungo's, her bag at her feet, waiting for a Hogwarts professor to pick her up and take her back to school. Since her bag and few belongings had been stored in the Ministry lockers during the attacks, they'd escaped unscathed. Her clothes, unfortunately, had been ripped and bloodied beyond repair. Now that she was leaving the hospital, the Healers had been kind enough to give her lightweight hospital pants and a bright red hoodie with the words 'glamourous' etched in glitter. Even Fauna could see why that sweater had been abandoned in the lost and found.

Relief flickered across her face when she noticed the short form of Professor O Morain walk in. Fauna stood up slowly and shuffled towards him, gripping the straps of her bag rather than slinging it over her shoulder. The less moving she did, the less pain she felt.

She managed a very slight smile, aware that she must look tired and terrible. The Healers had given her the option of heading back to school where Tulo could look after her, or staying at the hospital for a few more days. She'd decided to leave simply because she couldn't stand being in that room any longer.

"Hi," she greeted him in an especially subdued and quiet tone, though she was glad he'd been sent to fetch her instead of a professor that she didn't know as well.

"Um, I have everything, and they've owled Tulo-- er, Healer Nagde with instructions, so I'm ready to go," she said hopefully, impatient to leave.

Declan had been furious to discover that the ministry had allowed an innocent girl to get hurt. They should have separated her from the other weres, they should have known that she wasn't one to begin with. Bagnold was to blame, and he intended to write to the head of the RCMC about it and to the prophet- exposing the kind of people they had working. But that was all irrational anger, so he had put it to the side, and focused instead on being as jovial as he could be when he went to collect Fauna to bring her back to Hogwarts.

He saw her stand and approach. "I can get your bag," he offered. She was carrying it... oddly. "Good to see that you're alive, Miss Blake," he told her, taking the pack before she could argue.

"I imagine you were ready to go before you got here! It's a shame, what happened." There wasn't really an easy way to ignore it. "I am thankful it was no worse than a scratch. Having to leave Hogwarts so close to graduation wouldn't be easy on you." And Declan wasn't sure he would agree with the expulsion of one of his favorite students. If it was someone he didn't care about- that would have been different.

"Owled ahead? That's good. How are you feeling?" Declan asked. "Are you sure that you're in good enough health to be returning to Hogwarts and classes?" he asked.

Her face flushed when he carried her bag for her, but she didn't protest. If she took it easy for the next few days, she hoped she'd recover more quickly and be able to carry her own stuff without looking like an awkward zombie.

"Thanks," she told him, referring both to the bag and the 'alive' comment.

She was glad it was just a scratch as well, and couldn't imagine handling a bite and what that would mean. A werewolf's curse. Expulsion. She shuddered at the thought. The scratches, the scarring, were bad enough. Being attacked by someone she knew and cared about, even in non-human form, was bad enough. Fauna couldn't wrap her head around this, and she started to worry that she'd be expected to bounce back to normal as soon as her feet touched Hogwarts ground.

But her dismal thoughts were interrupted when Professor O Morain asked how she was feeling, and if she'd be up for Hogwarts and returning to class.

"I want to go back to Hogwarts," she said quickly. "I mean, I want to try. It's just... here, all I can think about is getting hurt, or other people getting hurt. And my mum's upset about everything, so the longer she sees me here, the more she... wants to fix stuff. You know?"

She decided not to mention her mum's crusade against the Ministry, having no idea that behind the professor's direct and positive approach, he felt angry, too.

Declan wasn't sure what it was like to have parents who genuinely cared. So he couldn't understand what it would be like for his mom wanting to fix things if she saw him in a jam. When Declan found himself in a pickle, his mother had simply disowned him and shipped him off to live with his aunt. Not appropriate response to her concern, however.

"Well, we'll get you back to Hogwarts. Madam Nadge will likely be the one in control, though," he warned her. "I'm not qualified to say whether or not you're medically ready for classes. Worst case scenario we'll bring your assignments to the Hospital Hut, but at least you would be back on campus with your friends."

Privately he wondered whether or not this was going to do anything to affect her stance on werewolves- but now wasn't the time to delve into that very senstive topic. "You shouldn't be too far behind schedule, but it might put a dent in your time to study for NEWTs. They're coming up fast."

"Is there any paper work they gave you for me?" Declan asked. "I'm going to assume Headmistress Snark will be interested in keeping an eye on things." She was the one in charge, after all. She was back at Hogwarts, and dealing with an on campus attack as well as this one. Declan couldn't be sure, but chances were he wasn't the headmistress' favorite person at the moment so he might as well try to eliminate the pesky nuisance of owling the hospital. "Or did they owl things to her as well as to Madam Nadge?"

Fauna nodded, relieved that he'd let her go back to Hogwarts, and trusting Tulo to look after her. Even if she needed to stay in the hospital hut for a while, it felt very homey and comfortable, and she'd rather that than be stuck here.

Though she appreciated that he was always honest with her, Fauna bit her lip and glanced away when he mentioned NEWTs. The mere mention of it made her nervous. Though in the scheme of things she supposed she should be grateful she was alive and still allowed at Hogwarts.

"I'm... not sure," Fauna admitted about the paperwork, looking confused as she tried to remember. The few days she'd spent at St. Mungo's had gone by in a blur. "I can ask."

She headed towards the Welcome Witch at the front desk, fretting over Headmistress Snark's reaction to all of this. Any Headmistress would want to keep tabs on a student that had just been attacked by a werewolf. But Snark, especially, would want to make absolutely sure Fauna hadn't been bitten.

Fauna asked the witch if they'd sent word to the Headmistress about her injury, and as she waited for the woman to check their records, she remembered something else.

"Professor, um... I heard something happened at school?" Fauna turned to him anxiously. "It was just a passing comment while I was at the Ministry, but... is everyone okay?"

Before Declan could let Fauna know that he could handle the paperwork aspect, she walked over to the desk to ask. She was an adult, he reminded himself, and could take care of herself (for the most part). Declan definitely believed that Fauna was more capable than a lot of the seventh years he'd come into contact with.

Then she asked him about school. Declan didn't want to lie to her- but he did believe she was stressed out enough. "Everyone is alright, no serious injuries," he assured her. "But there was a werewolf attack in the Forbidden Forest. A group of students were doing detention with Kirchlehner and Storm during the afternoon of the eleventh and a werewolf showed up in broad daylight. But everyone is okay, and when you get back to school I'm sure that you'll hear all about from the students. I'd hate to spoil their fun telling you the story. Besides, I'm sure they would do it more justice."

"And the headmistress is back," he added. "Though I suppose you guessed that already. There are plans for a wizard tournament- which should be exciting. I hate that you'll miss it, Miss Blake. But I suppose working at the ministry will be equally exciting."

Declan took the parchment roll that the witch at the desk was holding out."Do you think you fell alright enough to sidelong apparate?" he asked Fauna. "Or would you prefer the floo?"

Fauna looked alarmed when Professor O Morain told her that there had been an attack at Hogwarts, but she relaxed a little as he reassured her no one had gotten seriously hurt. Which meant no bites. For a moment, Fauna looked forward to heading back to the Hufflepuff common room, just to see Eveline safe in the dorm, and Figaro in one piece (and probably hyper, knowing him).

"That's a relief."

She looked less than enthused, however, hearing that Snark was officially back. She'd grown to like and trust Professor O Morain, and though he was young in comparison to the other professors, he seemed to be learning fast and interested in making improvements with the school (not just to do with dress codes). He also treated her with respect, and acted somewhat concerned about the attack. She wasn't so sure she could say the same about Snark.

Her eyes widened at his mention of a fall tournament. So the rumors were true! "Triwizard tournament?"

They turned away from the desk once he'd received the roll of parchment, and Fauna hesitated, thinking over his question.

"Um... would floo be okay? I just had some potions, but... not sure how apparation will affect stuff." The scratches were already acting up again, and she didn't want to do anything embarrassing like pass out or throw up. Though she knew floo would probably make the trip take a little longer. Fauna gave the professor an uncertain look.

"More of a relief than you know," Declan said with a laugh. "Can you imagine what Headmistress Snark and I would go through had something worse happened? I doubt the public would have cared that there is no way we could have known that they would get attacked in the day time. They're calling them direwolves in the prophet," he said to Fauna. "Big mess, that's what it is."

"I can't tell you all of the details. But the headmistress has been trying to plan one. Though from what I've heard, it will be different from the traditional versions. Hopefully safer than in the past, as well. Though last time the only reason things went wrong was because of You-Know-Who."

She asked about floo, and he nodded. "Floo would be quite alright," he said, steering them in the direction of the public fireplaces in the lobby of the hospital. "Either way we'd end up in Hogsmeade and walking back to castle. wards and all that." Something that was easy to forget about. Declan wondered what happened to a person when they tried to floo into Hogwarts or apparate in. Probably a nasty splinching.

"Do you want me to go first in case you come tumbling out the other side?" Declan asked.

Fauna looked at him, surprised, when he laughed. From the way he talked about the attack at school, he seemed more concerned about him and the Headmistress dealing with fallout from the public, rather than the students and professors that could have been hurt, cursed with lycanthropy, or killed. She struggled to brush it off, nodding about the direwolves. She'd heard the term bandied about in hushed whispers by mediwitches and hospital visitors alike.

The professor confirmed that the Headmistress was trying to plan a Triwizard Tournament, and at the moment, all Fauna could feel was immense relief that she was missing it in the fall. She'd had enough excitement for the last few days.

"I hope so too." Voldemort's fault or not, the last tournament hadn't ended too well for the Hufflepuff house.

She followed Professor O Morain to the floo area in the lobby, still slouching, her expression world-weary, up until the professor offered to Floo first.

Fauna gave him an amused look, seeing him standing there with her bag over his shoulder, acting a bit like her mum might, if her mum knew anything about magical transportation. She was more worried about the walk from Hogsmeade to the castle, but wouldn't admit that now.

"Tumble out? I'm not that clumsy." A bit of humor emerged from underneath all the doom and gloom.

"But now that I've said that, it'll be the one time I trip out of the fireplace. So... okay," she gestured. "I'll be right behind you."

"Never said you were clumsy, Blake, I just know you're a little weak. Fairly normal, you know, considering you were attacked by a werewolf." Which, as far as Declan was concerned, could be blamed entirely on Bagnold for conducting his interview with Fauna incorrectly. And, of course, it could placed upon the shoulders of Fox and Schlagenweit for starting the rumors to begin with.

Declan grabbed a handful of floo powder and tossed it into the fireplace. He called out for the Three Broomsticks- the safest place to floo (there was no way he was dragging Fauna out through the Hogs Head, besides, a butter beer would be nice for the walk back to Hogwarts). He came out the other end of the fireplace, and dusted the soot off of himself, and patiently waited for Fauna to come through.

Judging by the professor's serious reaction, Fauna was fairly sure her attempt at a joke had fallen flat. She nodded, shuffled awkwardly, and paid close attention to which place he flooed to, so she wouldn't tumble out on the other side of Hogsmeade.

Once he was through, Fauna went in next with the floo powder, speaking her destination and keeping her arms close to her body as other fireplaces whirled past. When the trip suddenly stopped, it was a bit dizzying, but she paused a moment and stepped in to the bustling pub, smiling at the professor to let him know she was fine. Fauna was very, very glad they hadn't apparated, though. Bagnold's taunts be damned.

She stayed close by Professor O Morain, trying to appear as inconspicuous as possible. The dark circles under her eyes, pallor to her face, and ridiculous red sweater (ridiculous even for her) drew a few looks, which she tried to ignore.

"Place is busy," she stated the obvious, looking around. "I guess people are trying to, uh, forget the past few days. Or think there's safety in numbers."

Or this was just a normal Friday night for the Three Broomsticks.

"Sometimes it makes people feel better to forget," he commented. Declan knew that. He remembered drinking himself into oblivion when he had lost his life a few years back. He missed his ex girlfriend still, and the fact he'd never met his son still hurt. But there was nothing to be done. Now, however, was not the time to think about such things.

"Right then, stay put," he said abruptly, reaching the counter in a few swift strides. He ordered two butter beers to go, and within a minute or two they were in his hands and he returned to Fauna, handing her one. "Might be a chilly walk back, and I figured we could both use it," he explained. Declan then carefully weaved their way through the crowd and out onto the street.

Declan started back toward the castle, feeling a little odd- carrying her bag and drinking a butter beer, it was almost like he was a student again. "So have you given anymore thought as to what you're going to do after Hogwarts?" Declan asked. "I remember you were unsure if you wanted to enter into the RCMC or the aurors. Have you been doing extra studies for potions with Professor Vaillancourt?"

"Thanks," she said with a surprised, grateful smile when he handed her a butterbeer to go. The professor was being nice, caring even, and though he'd offered her advice and help before, she just wasn't used to seeing him like this. Maybe it had something to do with being outside of the school setting.

When they walked out, the air was chilly, and the ground was still a little wet from last night's rain. Fauna cradled the cup of butterbeer in her hands, glad for the warmth and the company.

He piped up with a few questions, and Fauna glanced at him quickly, face falling.

He was probably asking to keep her mind off of the attack, Fauna thought. These past few days, however, she felt emotionally and physically exhausted, and could barely think about the idea of returning to class like normal. How did people do it? Fauna wanted to go back, definitely, but imagining anything beyond catching up on homework this weekend made her head hurt.

"Um... I don't know," she said quietly, weariness and a note of raw sadness in her voice.

"I mean, right, I've been studying with Professor Vaillancourt and it's been going... fine, I think. But..." Fauna trailed off and ducked her head, taking a sip of her drink.

"Well, as long as you haven't blown up the potions dungeons then I think you'll be alright," Declan offered. "That's usually a good way to gauge your progress. Potions is finicky work, an eye for detail is all that is really needed. You just have to be careful with measurements and stirring. Though I really don't see what potions have to do with fighting crime," he added. "I figure that if aurors need potions there are more qualified departments in the ministry. Then again- I don't fight crime, either," Declan stated simply. "I wrangle creatures and teach children how to not get eaten."

She sounded tired. Which wasn't surprising. "Hopefully Madam Nadge will have the hospital hut ready for you and it will be comfortable. When I was at Hogwarts we had a hospital wing in the castle. I imagine that would be more comfortable than a hut on the grounds. Though I suppose the hut at least offers more privacy. I would think it would be a bit drafty, though."

Declan knew that he would prefer to stay in the castle and not in a hut on the grounds. Then again, his time at Hogwarts was incredibly different from how things were now. And he supposed their healer was good enough at what she did. He'd heard no complaints, even if he wasn't particularly fond of her (for reasons he wasn't even sure of).

"If we need to slow down, let me know," Declan told her. "I know it's uncomfortable to walk so far, but it's better to get there sooner than later and you can rest. I'm sure that you'll rest better there than at St. Mungo's. And you're friends will be glad to have you- so you'll need your energy for tomorrow."

Fauna looked at him in surprise when he didn't push for answers or lecture her about her future like other professors might. She smiled slightly. She'd wondered what potions had to do with Auror work countless times during her lessons with Professor Vaillancourt, and it was nice to hear the same sentiment from someone who excelled with the subject.

"It's okay. I like the hut," she reassured him after he mentioned that it might be drafty. Fauna took a sip of butterbeer to stop herself from laughing when he started off with 'when I was at Hogwarts'. All he needed to add was 'we had to walk up six flights of stairs, both ways, and show proof of our wounds before even being allowed in to see a Healer'. Perhaps he didn't know that the hospital had been moved to the grounds only because Tulo preferred it, and she'd made that change in the last year. Not so long before he'd arrived to teach.

"It'll be good to see everyone," she nodded, looking like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Her eyes were tired, and she was definitely trudging along like a slowpoke, but she felt like she'd make it just fine. Fauna got a strange sense of deja vu when they turned a corner, Hogsmeade slowly fading away while the trees made shadows overhead. This was the same path Greyfriar had escorted the students on in October. The air felt chilly, and every twig crack and rustle of the leaves sounded loudly in the night.

"Professor?" Fauna asked shyly, trying to keep her mind off of where they were even as she glanced around, imagining wolves in the forest.

"What did you do before Hogwarts? Were you, well... crafting potions, wrangling creatures, and helping children not get eaten then, too?"

She'd never asked him specifically, but talking to Tulo and Greyfriar about their lives made her more open to seeing professors as people. Most of them, anyway. Fauna still wondered if Storm had simply sprouted another arm, salamander-style, after the last splinching incident.